February 03, 2012

When left doesn't imply sinister


Re: His Mind of Knowledge
by RY Deshpande on Fri 03 Feb 2012 04:59 AM IST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
When the reference is to the Veda we must take things always in the most positive sense. Truly speaking, “left” is the Vedic vāmam. In a hymn to Indra we’ve Vamadeva’s prayer [4.30.24] to bestow the finest riches through Aryaman, Pushan, and Bhaga:
vāmam-vāmam ta ādure devo dadātv aryamā|
vāmam pūşā vāmam bhago vāmam devah karūļati||
He uses the word vāmam five times, meaning beautiful-splendid-noble-lovely-dear. Here we’ve not only a magnificent prayer for the plenitudes sought; it is also excellent poetry with the full force of consonants, ringing through the lines with a certitude that the incantation will bring what it desires. That is Vamadeva the greatest of the mystic singers, as said by Sri Aurobindo. 

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